As part of the automatic spending cuts that went into effect earlier this spring, just hitting the FAA this week, all agency employees will lose one day of work every other week. That means fewer controllers in the towers and fewer flights will be allowed to take off and land so the remaining employers aren’t overwhelmed.

It’s been proven that the right customer experience can trump even price in a highly competitive market. But how do you prepare customer-contact associates to deliver the experience that your savvy customers expect?

And the “science of happiness at work” has big benefits for individuals too. If you’re really happy at work, you’ll solve problems faster, be more creative, adapt fastest to change, receive better feedback, get promoted quicker and earn more over the long-term.

For leaders of any kind — managers, supervisors, business owners, coaches, teachers, or parents — the lesson in this story is key to understanding what might motivate someone to take action…. When you find ways to communicate with people about issues bigger and more emotional to them — to them is the key point here — they will move to action to accomplish the goal.

Employee engagement may seem like a frill in a downturn economy. But it can make a big difference in a company’s survival. In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance.

RJ’s basic premise is that counter offers come across as fake and forced when provided by a boss or employer who’s been ignoring the employee in question for months if not years. RJ’s on the money with his take on the issue, but there’s an important qualifier that the candidate side needs to understand: You never take an offer to your employer as a conditional resignation expecting that they’re going to counter. As soon as you do that, you’re screwed. You’ve overplayed your hand.